Dear Queenie,
I have a problem with the way some of my relatives treat my children.
One of my children is a bit slow. He has trouble with reading and these relatives call him stupid and are always getting on his case because he doesn’t read more. They also make fun of him because he is kind of fat. He tries hard but he just doesn’t understand what he is reading and the teachers tell me he may never get any better.
Also, my 14-year-old daughter is a bit of a tomboy. She isn’t interested in boys yet, or clothes or makeup or stuff like that. They tell her she should dress better or the boys won’t like her, and one of them even asked her if she was a lesbian.
Queenie, I don’t want to make trouble in the family, but my kids don’t like these relatives who make fun of them and I don’t want to let them get hurt any more. How should I handle this?—Worried mother
Dear Worried mother,
Your first obligation is to protect your children.
If you haven’t already talked to these relatives about their behaviour, do so at once. Tell them their behaviour is hurting your children and you want them to stop. If they don’t stop, keep your children away from them.
If anyone else in the family tries to intervene, explain the situation to them and ask for their support, but tell them you won’t expose your children to any more abuse!
